Do you regret your education
Poll: Do you regret your education
Total Members Polled: 310
Discussion
Yes, I completely and utterly regret my education choices. I made choices based on what I thought other people wanted me to do, rather than what I wanted to do. A result of this I failed in subjects I wasn't interested in and my grades at A-Level weren't what I'd hoped for. I went to university before I really knew what I really wanted to do and as a result studied a subject I wasn't wholly interested in. I know there is no point wishing I could change the past, but I'd love to go back 8 years and have a word with my 16 year old self.
Edited by Snails on Wednesday 27th October 11:45
Interesting question 
Yes and no for me. I went to the local state primary, which I loved. I loved learning and was academically very capable.
I then went to one of London's top private girls schools, and I hated every minute of it. They squeezed all the joy out of learning for me, and gave me a distinct distaste for authority figures and institutions. There is no doubting the standards were high, despite holding the school record for truancy I managed to do very well in my GCSEs.
After that I tried a tertiary college, but found the opposite situation - the standards were so low I was just bored and frustrated (no one knowing the meaning of the word "ironic" in an English Language A Level class?!).
I dropped out, and didn't take my A Levels till I was 19, at a small private college which I loved. Unfortunately my old habits didn't leave me, I mucked about and did not get my predicted 3 A's (the Head had been pushing my to apply for Oxbridge at that point).
So sadly for me I totally lost my love of academic study, and I regret that. I still love to learn, but I didn't go to uni for that reason.
I don't regret where I am in life, I'm happy with the experiences I've had in education, both good & bad, & I'm very happy with my career, but a small part of me wishes that my secondary school had fostered rather than killed my love of academia.
Yes and no for me. I went to the local state primary, which I loved. I loved learning and was academically very capable.
I then went to one of London's top private girls schools, and I hated every minute of it. They squeezed all the joy out of learning for me, and gave me a distinct distaste for authority figures and institutions. There is no doubting the standards were high, despite holding the school record for truancy I managed to do very well in my GCSEs.
After that I tried a tertiary college, but found the opposite situation - the standards were so low I was just bored and frustrated (no one knowing the meaning of the word "ironic" in an English Language A Level class?!).
I dropped out, and didn't take my A Levels till I was 19, at a small private college which I loved. Unfortunately my old habits didn't leave me, I mucked about and did not get my predicted 3 A's (the Head had been pushing my to apply for Oxbridge at that point).
So sadly for me I totally lost my love of academic study, and I regret that. I still love to learn, but I didn't go to uni for that reason.
I don't regret where I am in life, I'm happy with the experiences I've had in education, both good & bad, & I'm very happy with my career, but a small part of me wishes that my secondary school had fostered rather than killed my love of academia.
My secondary education was appalling: Awful state school, filled with proto-chavs and 'promising young footballers' and staffed by pink haired, CND badge wearing lentil-munchers. But this was made worse by stupid choices I made as a teenager. As a result I left school at 15 with no qualifications at all.
However I have always loved learning and became something of an autodidact, playing truant in order to go to the library.
Fast forward twenty odd years and I should find out if my MPhil thesis can be upgraded to PhD. If not, an MPhil isn't a bad level of degree to attain.
So I do regret my early education, but I don't regret how its all panned out.
However I have always loved learning and became something of an autodidact, playing truant in order to go to the library.
Fast forward twenty odd years and I should find out if my MPhil thesis can be upgraded to PhD. If not, an MPhil isn't a bad level of degree to attain.
So I do regret my early education, but I don't regret how its all panned out.
Regret? no.
Would I do things slightly differently? yes.
I'd have worked harder, younger, instead of pissing around for a few years. I'd have made my subject choices more strategically and I would have chosen things that suited me first, rather than trying things that didn't before changing to things that did. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
However, when I was making my early choices about exams and careers there was no internet to research with, there was f*ck all advice or guidance available, nobody told you about all the exciting careers out there - Most of the girls at my school went to university to study Art History and English or became a PA, then they married rich men and had babies and stayed at home looking after the labradors.
Would I do things slightly differently? yes.
I'd have worked harder, younger, instead of pissing around for a few years. I'd have made my subject choices more strategically and I would have chosen things that suited me first, rather than trying things that didn't before changing to things that did. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
However, when I was making my early choices about exams and careers there was no internet to research with, there was f*ck all advice or guidance available, nobody told you about all the exciting careers out there - Most of the girls at my school went to university to study Art History and English or became a PA, then they married rich men and had babies and stayed at home looking after the labradors.
The secondary school I attended is a well respected one in my area and I did fairly well in my GCSEs (could have done better though, I must admit), but from that point on i pretty much regret everything.
I should have finished my A-levels, should have gone to University and should be doing better than I am now.
I'm trying to get myself out of the rut I'm in, though. If I don't succeed in getting a better job within a few months then I'm considering furthering my education by either Open University or some other means.
I should have finished my A-levels, should have gone to University and should be doing better than I am now.
I'm trying to get myself out of the rut I'm in, though. If I don't succeed in getting a better job within a few months then I'm considering furthering my education by either Open University or some other means.
Yes, I heavily regret not switching on and looking at the bigger picture, 5 years of studying was an absolute age, when I could have been earning £12,000 FQd Mechanic.
It's not all bad though as I got out of the motor trade pretty sharpish & joined the RAF landing a dream job travelling around the World- mostly the States & Canada. Sadly it didn't last as I got hungry for education & got fed up being told what to do & when I could do it. Promotion was woefully slow too, so the prospect of stagnating for 12 years in the same rank killed my enthusiasm slightly.
I'm rectifying all that now though by doing part time FdBSc in Electrical Engineering. It probably would have been so much easier 10 years ago than juggling a family, mortgage, self-employment & a baby around study time. It fries the brain sometimes
Kids don't know when they've got it easy. I'll be hoping my little boy makes the most of his education & can see the bigger picture right from the start.
It's not all bad though as I got out of the motor trade pretty sharpish & joined the RAF landing a dream job travelling around the World- mostly the States & Canada. Sadly it didn't last as I got hungry for education & got fed up being told what to do & when I could do it. Promotion was woefully slow too, so the prospect of stagnating for 12 years in the same rank killed my enthusiasm slightly.
I'm rectifying all that now though by doing part time FdBSc in Electrical Engineering. It probably would have been so much easier 10 years ago than juggling a family, mortgage, self-employment & a baby around study time. It fries the brain sometimes
Kids don't know when they've got it easy. I'll be hoping my little boy makes the most of his education & can see the bigger picture right from the start.
Landlord said:
Japveesix said:
GTIR said:
Is this a bragging thread?
Not sure it was supposed to be but it's certainly turned into one. I would share my thoughts but my success isn't as impressive as most here so I'll go back to looking at cute dogs in the dog thread
More importantly than the money though they didn't enable me to get into my chosen career straight from uni as I (foolishly) had hoped they would. I've since spent a fair few years in hum-drum average, and arguably depressing, office work and only now at 28 have finally broken into the wildlife conservation world I always wanted to work within. The BSc/MSc had almost no influence over my working career so far.
Having said that I loved being at uni and loved the courses I did. I got to live in two great cities that I now feel I know quite well and met a lot of great people. I also learnt a few bits and bobs which have since proved useful.
A little part of me wishes I'd gone straight into volunteering 10 years ago and after a year or two would probably have found myself in the position I'm now in, but I'd have missed out on a lot so I still clicked no
I'm in uni now studying physiotherapy, It was the best degree I could get on with my access to nursing qualification. I had great GCSE's (5a 4A* B french taken a year early) all my life I was determined to be a doctor, until I had to drop my a-levels. I was thrown out of the family home and spent from 16 to 17 in squats and on couches, I fell into the bike trade for a couple of years until I sorted my own house and saved up enough to do an access to higher education course.
Physio's great fun, but truthfully I wish I had waited another year and got a place on an access to medicine course, all the last 14 months has taught me is that I should have had more faith in my critical thinking and reasoning skills and taken the UKCAT aptitude tests. The massive bonus from my current degree is that I self diagnosed a rare genetic condition which was confirmed by geneticists a couple of months ago. Due to the prognosis I would struggle to get a job as a junior doctor, where as physiotherapy is a bit more realistic.
Physio's great fun, but truthfully I wish I had waited another year and got a place on an access to medicine course, all the last 14 months has taught me is that I should have had more faith in my critical thinking and reasoning skills and taken the UKCAT aptitude tests. The massive bonus from my current degree is that I self diagnosed a rare genetic condition which was confirmed by geneticists a couple of months ago. Due to the prognosis I would struggle to get a job as a junior doctor, where as physiotherapy is a bit more realistic.
I don't regret my level of education or topic of education.
What I regret is my location of education.
At 19 I had no idea how important a decent Red Brick Uni can be on a CV over a normal ex poly uni.
So despite having the qualifications to chose large red brick, I chose ex poly.
Mainly due to a woman.
:sigh:
What I regret is my location of education.
At 19 I had no idea how important a decent Red Brick Uni can be on a CV over a normal ex poly uni.
So despite having the qualifications to chose large red brick, I chose ex poly.
Mainly due to a woman.
:sigh:
Yes.
What do I regret?
Listening to others when I should have followed what my mind told me to do. Got told by several teachers/careers advisers/family members at school and at home that apprenticeships were useless and a throwback to 40+ years ago, and that they wouldn't get me anywhere. I desperately wanted to do an engineering apprenticeship but ended up agreeing to a foundation course in IT at college, despite a proven history of being excellent at practical work and poor at theory. Dropped out of it because it wasn't what I wanted to do, drifted between part time jobs for a bit and then signed up for my PSV test with Stagecoach. Moved on to some minor management roles since then (I run an outstation of two buses and three drivers - small but the boss leaves us alone to get on with things usually), but essentially i'm stuck in a total dead end job, with a few little things on the side to keep a decent flow of cash coming in.
Hopefully next year i'm signing up to the OU to get some decent qualifications and improve my chances of success.
What do I regret?
Listening to others when I should have followed what my mind told me to do. Got told by several teachers/careers advisers/family members at school and at home that apprenticeships were useless and a throwback to 40+ years ago, and that they wouldn't get me anywhere. I desperately wanted to do an engineering apprenticeship but ended up agreeing to a foundation course in IT at college, despite a proven history of being excellent at practical work and poor at theory. Dropped out of it because it wasn't what I wanted to do, drifted between part time jobs for a bit and then signed up for my PSV test with Stagecoach. Moved on to some minor management roles since then (I run an outstation of two buses and three drivers - small but the boss leaves us alone to get on with things usually), but essentially i'm stuck in a total dead end job, with a few little things on the side to keep a decent flow of cash coming in.
Hopefully next year i'm signing up to the OU to get some decent qualifications and improve my chances of success.
Dunno really.
I have severe dyslexia and it never got diagnosed in my day. Sent to boarding schools from aged 8 and none of them picked up that I could neither read nor write very well. My own bleeding mother was working at the time as a remedial English teacher and missed it too. I was bright and articulate as a boy so they just assumed I was being a lazy little sod. The fact that I could not read and write or ever handed in one piece homework in my whole school career passed them by.
Result, left school at 15 without any exam results what so ever.
Got into a Tech College on the basis of an IQ test (very good results) and for 3 years was near the top in every practical and mathamatic subject available. Loved it.
Went to sea at 18, seen the world, speak languages and now work in Marine Engineering.
Still can't spell for toffee though, wrote a note for my mate Alan this morning and his name came out as Anal.
I have severe dyslexia and it never got diagnosed in my day. Sent to boarding schools from aged 8 and none of them picked up that I could neither read nor write very well. My own bleeding mother was working at the time as a remedial English teacher and missed it too. I was bright and articulate as a boy so they just assumed I was being a lazy little sod. The fact that I could not read and write or ever handed in one piece homework in my whole school career passed them by.
Result, left school at 15 without any exam results what so ever.
Got into a Tech College on the basis of an IQ test (very good results) and for 3 years was near the top in every practical and mathamatic subject available. Loved it.
Went to sea at 18, seen the world, speak languages and now work in Marine Engineering.
Still can't spell for toffee though, wrote a note for my mate Alan this morning and his name came out as Anal.
Dan_1981 said:
I don't regret my level of education or topic of education.
What I regret is my location of education.
At 19 I had no idea how important a decent Red Brick Uni can be on a CV over a normal ex poly uni.
So despite having the qualifications to chose large red brick, I chose ex poly.
Mainly due to a woman.
:sigh:
That's interesting. I chose my first choice Poly - Plymouth over my 1st choice Uni - UMIST as the courses were similar but Plymouth was near the sea. I've never once regretted it, or come across any disadvantage - not that I've ever been aware of anyway.What I regret is my location of education.
At 19 I had no idea how important a decent Red Brick Uni can be on a CV over a normal ex poly uni.
So despite having the qualifications to chose large red brick, I chose ex poly.
Mainly due to a woman.
:sigh:
Nope, not regretted a thing. There is stuff I would do differently next time round, for sure, but that doesnt mean Ive regretted anything so far. Its got me thus far, and every action is a consequence of the previous action, change what you did before and who knows where the path will take you.
Do I regret my education?
I went to one of the last grammar schools in the North West which wasn’t that great. 5 “O” levels.
Then I went to technical college, and got another 3 “O” levels and 2 “A” levels. There was also a full race 100 cc go kart available to razz round on, or you could do football/sports type stuff instead. Tough call!
I couldn’t get an apprenticeship for love nor money in 1981 or 1983.
Off to Lancashire poly for an HND Mechanical Engineering.
Worked for 5 years and realised that the HND wasn’t getting me anywhere, so I went back to uni, (this time Cranfield), did the preliminary year, got a 2:1, and then worked my nuts off, absolutely flat out, for 12 months doing my M.Sc. (Design of Rotating Machines). In my line of work, rotating machinery, (big turbines, gearboxes, bearings) this is the one to get.
It has made a massive difference to the job roles I do, and has opened doors which just weren’t available before. It has taken me round the world, at someone else’s expense, and made sure my days are filled with interesting projects and things to do.
I know far too many other people who still don’t know what they want to do in life (at 45?), or are bored out of their minds, boy has it made them bitter!
I only regret (a bit) not working harder for my A levels, so I could have done a degree straight away, but then I probably wouldn’t have had the realisation I needed to go further.
So do I regret it? NO! Not one bit of it.
I went to one of the last grammar schools in the North West which wasn’t that great. 5 “O” levels.
Then I went to technical college, and got another 3 “O” levels and 2 “A” levels. There was also a full race 100 cc go kart available to razz round on, or you could do football/sports type stuff instead. Tough call!
I couldn’t get an apprenticeship for love nor money in 1981 or 1983.
Off to Lancashire poly for an HND Mechanical Engineering.
Worked for 5 years and realised that the HND wasn’t getting me anywhere, so I went back to uni, (this time Cranfield), did the preliminary year, got a 2:1, and then worked my nuts off, absolutely flat out, for 12 months doing my M.Sc. (Design of Rotating Machines). In my line of work, rotating machinery, (big turbines, gearboxes, bearings) this is the one to get.
It has made a massive difference to the job roles I do, and has opened doors which just weren’t available before. It has taken me round the world, at someone else’s expense, and made sure my days are filled with interesting projects and things to do.
I know far too many other people who still don’t know what they want to do in life (at 45?), or are bored out of their minds, boy has it made them bitter!
I only regret (a bit) not working harder for my A levels, so I could have done a degree straight away, but then I probably wouldn’t have had the realisation I needed to go further.
So do I regret it? NO! Not one bit of it.
Old Gregg said:
The secondary school I attended is a well respected one in my area and I did fairly well in my GCSEs (could have done better though, I must admit), but from that point on i pretty much regret everything.
I should have finished my A-levels, should have gone to University and should be doing better than I am now.
I'm trying to get myself out of the rut I'm in, though. If I don't succeed in getting a better job within a few months then I'm considering furthering my education by either Open University or some other means.
Ditto. Are you me?I should have finished my A-levels, should have gone to University and should be doing better than I am now.
I'm trying to get myself out of the rut I'm in, though. If I don't succeed in getting a better job within a few months then I'm considering furthering my education by either Open University or some other means.
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